8_Days__June_1_2017
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oos & bravos<br />
BY<br />
KI’ERN TAN<br />
PHOTO: AMAZON PRIME VIDEO<br />
BRAVO<br />
to American Gods<br />
(Amazon Prime<br />
Video). This adaptation of Neil<br />
Gaiman's award-winning tome of the<br />
same name is a divine drama worthy<br />
of worship. American Gods straddles<br />
our world and the otherworldly realm inhabited by<br />
ancient deities that have long since fallen out of<br />
favour, replaced by the new gods born from and<br />
nurtured by humanity’s obsession with materialism<br />
and technology. The old gods include Bilquis, a love<br />
deity (who literally absorbs her sexual partners —<br />
man, it’s a sight to behold) and Vulcan, the Roman<br />
god of fire; while among the contemporary almighties<br />
is Technical Boy who feeds on our Internet addiction<br />
(like it or not, we all worship him). The brilliant Ian<br />
McShane plays Mr Wednesday, a god-turned-hustler<br />
trying to rouse an army to battle the new gods.<br />
Along for the ride is Shadow Moon (The 100’s Ricky<br />
Whittle), his reluctant, constantly brooding mortal<br />
bodyguard. Often considered un-adaptable (the first<br />
season covers only a third of the novel), Gaiman’s<br />
unwieldy fantasy epic translates onto the small<br />
screen as a visually arresting spectacle that’s a treat<br />
to watch whether you’ve read the book or not.<br />
BOO & BRAVO to Bill Nye<br />
Saves the World (Netflix).<br />
For viewers of a certain generation,<br />
Nye is known as The Science Guy.<br />
With this Netflix show, he’s back<br />
doing what he does best — imparting<br />
knowledge to the young (pay attention, budding<br />
teachers, you may learn something about the art of<br />
teaching). The new show is directed at “grown-up<br />
kids” and is filmed in front of a live audience and<br />
structured like a late-night talk show, with lighthearted<br />
skits featuring the likes of Zach Braff, Crazy<br />
Ex-Girlfriend’s Rachel Bloom — and proof that Nye<br />
is a nerd with cool pals — DJ Steve Aoki and Project<br />
Runway’s Tim Gunn. Sporting his signature lab coat,<br />
Nye enthusiastically takes on topics such as global<br />
warming and alternative medicines in his trademark<br />
non-threatening, lightly comedic way, with a panel<br />
of experts weighing in. The bad news is, the show’s<br />
tone is neither here nor there: Nye’s approach is too<br />
simple for adults and too talky for kids. Sure, you may<br />
learn a thing or two here, but you’re not likely to be<br />
inspired or challenged to do much else.<br />
PHOTO: NETFLIX<br />
BRAVO<br />
to Harry<br />
Styles’<br />
‘Carpool<br />
Karaoke’<br />
appearance on The Late Late<br />
Show with James Corden<br />
(weeknights, RTL CBS<br />
Entertainment, StarHub Ch<br />
509). When asked how it feels<br />
to be in the front seat without<br />
his One Direction mates,<br />
Styles pauses, and answers cryptically, “I feel like I<br />
have more control over… the buttons.” The duo then<br />
launches into his first single from his self-titled solo<br />
album, ‘Sign of the Times, a song which Styles admits<br />
makes him cry sometimes when he’s performing it but<br />
“in a cool way”.<br />
(That sounds like<br />
a meme-worthy<br />
quote waiting<br />
to go viral.)<br />
Other highlights<br />
that cracked us<br />
up: a silly skit<br />
where Styles<br />
goes through<br />
a gamut of<br />
wardrobe changes<br />
— including a<br />
black mesh tank top — just to prove that he can<br />
pull off any look; and Styles and Corden performing<br />
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s ‘Endless Love’, which<br />
happens to be Styles’ go-to karaoke tune. Hmm...<br />
— NEU WEE TEE<br />
98<br />
8<br />
DAYS
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